Whole Wheat Pancakes with Nutella & Mangoes

Having the house full of kids for play afternoons is a lot of fun, hectic but fun! I remember my own play afternoons when my friends would come over and mum had arranged several exciting games, quizzes and films for us to watch. But what I remember the most is how all my friends thought my mum was the coolest mum in the neighborhood!

My friends always looked forward to the play afternoons at our place. Then they knew that over pitchers of KoolAid, they would indulge in delicious chocolate chip cookies and a few cakes like this and this! They also knew that my mum would think of the most wild things for us to do.

Remember Grease? Well we were totally into the film. John Travolta and Olivia Newton John were our heroes and we wanted to be just like them. One afternoon when we came home from school my mum had set up a few tables in the backyard and rows of chairs. It all looked like a catwalk or stage of some sort with chairs facing the stage.

On the backyard door she had pinned a poster with “The Grease Show. Entry 25 cents!” written in the famous Grease font.

You can imagine how flabbergasted we were when she told us she had invited several of our neighbors and we were to perform to the music of Grease. She had set up a portable stereo and knew we did not need to practice, because in our free time we did nothing but dance and sing to the soundtrack of Grease.

On the other side of the yard she had arranged a table laid with cookies, fruit, cakes and those pitchers of KoolAid.

Wasn’t she the best? Well John Travolta and Olivia would have turned green with envy that afternoon because we put on the best show anyone had ever seen. For me she already was the coolest mum but after that day she won the hearts of each kid on that stage.

When Soeren came along my mum would joke with me and say “See if you can take the title of the coolest mum!”

I could never be as cool as her. However, I do hear things like "Boy, your mum is nice!" or "Your mum always has great food around!" or even "I like your mum she's so neat!"

Then one day I got it! I actually got the honor of being crowned the "coolest mum!" And it was for something as normal as whole wheat pancakes, Nutella and mangoes! Go figure!

In a mixing bowl whisk together the flour, milk and salt to a smooth mixture. Set aside for 15 - 20 minutes, allowing the batter to soak through.

Then add the eggs and incorporate into the batter.

To bake the pancakes allow a teaspoon of butter to melt in a hot non-stick pan. Add enough of the batter to cover the base of your pan. Bake for a few minutes until the top sets, then using a spatula flip. Bake this side until golden, then flip again to bake the other side.

Make sure you give your batter a good whisk before you bake it.

Cover each pancake after you have baked them in some foil to keep them warm.

Place one of the pancakes on a chopping board and generously smother one side with Nutella. If the pancake is still warm the Nutella will start to melt slighty, which is what we want.

Place a few mango chunks on one half of the pancake and cover with the other half making a sandwich. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios.

Perfect Pancake Pointers:

Everyone can bake pancakes, but a few tips will give your pancakes the right elasticity, a gorgeous golden color, make it crispy and low in extra fat and calories.

Beat the hell out of them! For great spongy texture whisking your pancakes is absolutely vital. While your whisk is beating the batter, the gluten in the wheat has a chance to unfold, allowing the gaps between it to be soaked up with liquid. So the more you beat it the more elastic and spongy your pancakes will be.

Take a beak! For 15 to 20 minutes you have time to enjoy a cup of tea, because it takes this amount of time for your batter to soak through. During this time the the flour soaks itself up with liquid so that you have a smooth, homogeneous mixture.

If you want your pancakes to be light and spongy add a bit of aerated water to the batter. The gas in the water acts like a propellant and guarantees lovely fluffy pancakes.

Use a non-stick pan to bake the pancakes. It is easier to flip the pancakes without them sticking and you use less fat to bake them. A tiny spoon of butter is more than enough. Furthermore, as a non-stick pan hinders the pancake from burning fast - you do not need to wipe it clean after each pancake.

Verdict

Watching Soeren and a few of his friends discuss issues important to 6 year olds with the earnest of 40 year olds always blows me away and cracks me up. During these pancakes the issue was the depth of the moat they had built around their sand castle. We discussed it in the finest detail and we came up with the perfect solution. When they finally cleared away the dishes, I heard one of the boys gingerly say "Your mum is the coolest - not only does she make great pancakes she is an architect too!" The rest chimed in consent. I could not help it - I had to call my mum and tell her the crown was mine!

This is heading on over to to Susan for her Pancake Parade. Be sure to check out the roundup because I am sure there will be a huge variety of great pancakes.

The lovely Zu of Zlamushka's Spicy Kitchen has given me the honor of featuring WFLH in her awesome event Tried & Tasted. She makes me blush when she describes my blog as being dedicated to "festive love food". Zu is a person full of life and esprit and her blog shows her excitement for life. If you have not visited it yet please take a minute and check it out. In the meantime for all those who will be browsing the pages of this blog for the next few weeks, let me welcome you in advance and say I am really excited to have you over. I am so looking forward to the roundup - nervous, curious and jittery all in one.

I missed the deadline for last month's Click for Bri but I think it is never to late to do something good for a cause. This was a vital cause. I did Click Yellow last month and so did many of you. It was lovely to see the blog world turn yellow for Bri and so I thank you along with everyone else for this. It would not have happened if you all did not have a wonderful kind heart!

Talking about mangoes don't forget:

The Monthly Mingle is in full swing this month with Mango Mania. I am enjoying your fantastic ideas and creations. Hope the rest of you will join us experimenting with this lovely fruit.

Joining the party is easy. Create a mango dish and post it on your blog by July 14 and send it on over to me. You will find more details here.

Hi meeta...have missed being here for a while. betw chicken pox, summer vacations etc, time flew. The first thing I did was bookmark the pancakes & then nodded wildly as I read your post. My kids think I'm the coolest Mom & are forever bringing their troop of friends in for cookies & cake. After every birthday party (which incidentally has to be held at home) the son declares that he loves his party the most becos of the great food. I hold him back after the cake is cut becos he's already bookmarked what he wants on his plate...very embarassing!! We have uninvited & uninhibited kids ringing the bell to join the party!! Love the post & am already thinking mango!!Cheers

Hi Meeta, I visit your blog often and I love your pictures. The food looks so yummy that I always wanted to try one of your recipes. This morning, I tried the pancake but I substituted the whole wheat flour with just plain white since I didn't have whole wheat at home. I just ate the pancakes with maple syrup and it was delicious!! It's probably the best pancakes I've ever made. They were so soft and spongy. My hubby loved them too! Thanks for sharing!!

Its like u read my mind. When u posted the danish braid...i wanted to request u for the recipe of crepe. I had them in Paris with nutella and bananas...i just loved them so much....that i thought i will ask who better the dessert queen:-)I m so thrilled to see this recipe and its even lovely with mangoes i beleive...this one's something i will truly try and tell u! thanks again and keep posting such lovely recipes....

Meeta, I would have never thought to combine mango and nutella, but how could 2 of my favorite things not go well together? I also bought beautiful mangos at the farmer's market this morning : ) (and nutella is always on reserve in my pantry)

Meeta, let me assure you that whole wheat pancakes with Nutella and mangoes is NOT normal but it is easy to see how it would earn you 'coolest mom'! You've been pretty cool in my book for a long time.Now why can't I get the "grin" on that first photo out of my mind!

Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hello, I am Meeta a freelance food photographer, stylist and writer living in the cuturally rich city of Weimar, Germany with my husband and our son, where I enjoy preparing multi-cultural home cooked meals with fresh organic ingredients. What's for lunch, Honey? is my award winning food blog where I combine my love for food with my love for photography and styling...